Spain reports lowest daily deaths from COVID-19 since mid-March
(CNN) — Spanish health authorities reported the lowest daily increase in coronavirus deaths since mid-March on Saturday, as the number of new cases continues to slow down.
According to data from the Spanish Health Ministry, 27,563 have now died from COVID-19 in the country, an increase of 104 in the past 24 hours. It is the lowest daily increase since March 17.
“While it is painful that people continue to die from coronavirus, the numbers are favorable,” Dr. Fernando Simon, Spain’s Director for Health Emergencies, said of the number of new deaths at the daily coronavirus briefing.
The number of coronavirus cases rose to 230,698, an increase of 539 in the past 24 hours. It showed an increase of 0.2% on the previous day, continuing the deceleration trend seen in the past few weeks.
“Until now, we haven’t currently detected an active outbreak in any of the regions,” Simon said of the infections, while cautioning that Spaniards need to remain vigilant.
Simon made the remarks as the Spanish Health Ministry announced its testing capacity had increased by 18% in the past seven days, having conducted nearly 2 million tests since the outbreak began. In addition, more than 1 million rapid antibodytestshave also been carried out.
Its health ministry also reported a total of 50,723 health workers have been infected with the virus since the start of the outbreak in the country, 268 more cases since Friday.
While the Spanish government has not given an official number of deaths among health workers, the General Council of Official Medical Colleges, the Spanish doctors’ professional body (CGCOM), reported 48 doctors have died victims of COVID-19 in the country.
Meanwhile, the Spanish government will ask the country’s parliament for a month-long extension to the state of emergency in the country, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced.
“The Spanish government will ask the Parliament a new extension to the state of emergency, which will have distinct characteristics, in relation to the previous ones, because the situation in Spain has changed,” Sanchez said. “To begin with, it aims to be the last [extension to the] state of emergency and to encompass, until the end of the de-escalation, and because of that we will ask parliament that instead of 15 days, that it is of around a month.”
The prime minister said with this, that right of free circulation would remain “limited” for a few more weeks and that certain regions could exit the state of emergency earlier than others.
Sanchez also said the phased easing of restrictions would carry on in half the country until the beginning of summer, while the rest of the country would finish one or two weeks afterwards, if there isn’t an increase in the number of cases.